Stay Leaner and Fitter Throughout the Years

We’re all getting older, it’s a fact of life we don’t necessarily like to think about.  But we must think about it, that is, if we want to age gracefully and healthily and maintain our ideal healthy weight.

As the years go by, our body composition continually changes.  After the age of 35 we start losing 5% of lean muscle every 10 years.  After the age of 40, we lose 1% of lean muscle every year!  As the body loses lean muscle mass, it starts to increase fat stores.  This is why people start looking flabby and soft as they get older.

To top it all off, women have hormones to deal with.  Women’s hormones are constantly changing with every stage of life starting with puberty, pregnancy, and all the way to menopause.  During the menopausal years, low levels of estrogen account for the increased weight gain around the belly.  Losing weight can be extremely challenging at this time.  In general, many women notice an increased amount of belly fat as they age, even if they aren’t gaining any weight.  The natural aging process, hormones, and of course, our genetics, all play a contributing role in this shift from lean mass to fat mass.  Although these factors are all naturally occurring and we have no control over them – there is still a way to fight back! 

Exercise is one of the greatest defenses against age.  One of the reasons the body stores more fat as it ages is because the metabolism starts to slow down.  When we are young, the body has more lean muscle, and muscle requires more energy to maintain.  Muscle is our metabolism.  The more lean muscle we have, the more efficiently our metabolism runs, simple as that.  Aging replaces muscle with fat and therefore, has a halting effect on our metabolism.  The only way to fire up the metabolism is to maintain muscle mass with regular exercise and strength training.

The American Council on Exercise has published an article called, “Is it true that metabolism decreases with age?“.  Dr. Digate Muth provides an expert explanation of the effects of our metabolism on age-related weight gain.

In the end, it all boils down to one simple fact – in order to fight the effects of aging and related weight gain, we must make regular exercise and physical activity part of our lifestyle.  This is what I consider to be the “fountain of youth” and we all have access to it.

Your health is your most …

Your health is your most precious commodity – so why not protect your investment each day.

Goal-Setting Leads to Faster Weight loss

Ask yourself, “would you take a road trip without mapping out a plan”?  Probably not.  When mapping out your road trip, what’s the most important thing to consider?  Your destination, of course, where are you going?  Starting a journey without a destination in mind could leave you wandering around aimless, not really getting anywhere.  Most people, however, use common sense when planning trips, events, holidays, etc., in order to ensure a desirable outcome.  Then why is it that, when it comes to our health, well-being, fitness, and exercise, we don’t apply the same prudent approach as we do when planning other important things in our lives?  Why is common sense not so common when it comes to good nutrition and exercise?  Many a times, we may have the right intentions, but somehow end up side-tracked and going against what we know to be common sense.  Why does this happen?  The answer is plain and simple – lack of focus.

Are You Fuzzy or Focused?

It has been said that successful people are successful because they are very clear about their values.    Unsuccessful people are fuzzy or unsure.  Complete failures have no real values at all.

What’s Important to You? – What do you value?

You must begin by determining what’s important to you.  Do you value your health?  Is your future well-being and quality of life important to you?  Do you value yourself enough to make healthy lifestyle habits a priority?  These are big questions that must be addressed before you can move forward to devise a plan.

Set SMART Goals

Most of us have, at some point, made resolutions to eat better, exercise more, or lose weight.  But what happens to these resolutions as time goes on?  They usually fizzle out.  Life gets in the way, and for whatever reason, our resolution fades into the background and is no longer in the forefront of our mind.

Resolutions are often just wishful thinking, and until you put it in writing, it is simply a pipe-dream. Writing out your goal makes it concrete, now it becomes a commitment, and now it can act like a map, guiding you to your destination.  Goals are not difficult to set, however, effective goal-setting involves some thinking and planning.  The most effective type of goals are SMART goals.

SMART goals are written out so they can be reviewed regularly, and thus, are less likely to be forgotten or neglected.  To turn a simple resolution into a SMART goal, you must make it:

• Specific – State in detail exactly what you want.

• Measurable – You must be able to measure your goal in some way in order to know when you’ve achieved it.  State specific quantity, time-frame, cost, etc., anything that can be measured.

• Attainable – What are you willing to do to achieve your goal?  Goal must be within your control, in other words, you must be in control of whether it can be achieved or not.  The achievement of your goal should not be dependent on external factors.  By setting a goal outside your control, you are setting yourself up for failure.

• Relevant – You must ask yourself, “Can I do this?”  If there is any doubt in your mind that you may not be able to achieve your goal, then you probably won’t put in the required effort.  A goal is unrealistic or irrelevant unless you’re confident about achieving it and are willing to give it your 100% effort.

• Time-bound – Set a deadline for achieving your goal.  This gives you a target and creates a sense of urgency.

What is an example of a SMART goal?

Not a SMART goal:  I want to lose some weight.

SMART goal:

• Specific:  I want to lose 20 lbs.
• Measurable:  Weekly weigh in and recording body measurements.
• Attainable:  Eliminating fast food and eating more veggies; exercising 30 minutes, 3-4 times per week, reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity
• Relevant:  Losing 1-2 lbs per week
• Time-bound:  target can be reached in 15 weeks

Achieving success is not necessarily difficult, but not easy either.  It requires discipline, focus and a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.  Simply stating, ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to be fit’ is not good enough.  If it really were that simple, then we would already have everything we want.  Whatever your goals are, plan them out thoroughly by writing them down, and review them every single day.  This will bring focus and clarity.  Clarity is the key to success.  The clearer you are about what you really want, the more successful you will be.

Weekly fitTip: Keep Veggies Cut-up and Ready to go

Keep a selection of cut-up veggies in a see-through container in the refrigerator.  This requires a little prep work, but it takes the guess-work out of snacking.  As soon as you open the fridge door, the first thing you’ll see are the “easy to grab” veggies.

You can do the same thing for when you’re on the go.  Keep a small container or Ziploc bag of cut-up veggies in your purse, briefcase, or desk for a healthy snack anytime.  Veggies are full or vitamins, nutrients, and fiber and contain minimal calories, so there’s no harm in over-indulging, it’s all good!

By replacing a few of your usual snacks with veggies, you can shave off hundreds of calories a day!  Combine this with a consistent workout routine, and you’re on your way to seeing some real results!  Give it a try, you’ll be amazed at how easy eating healthier can be with just a little preparation.

Get Motivated!

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~ Zig Ziglar

It’s going to happen!  You might as well be ready for it!

Most people struggle with their motivation when it’s regarding exercise or eating healthier.  There may be times when your motivation will seem as far-fetched as six-pack abs.  This is completely normal and anyone striving to make lifestyle changes should have a coping strategy in place  to deal with this situation when it arises.

The key to gaining better control and mastering your motivation is to understand what motivates you.

Our natural instincts move us towards pleasure and away from pain. It’s that simple.

By human nature, we will do more to avoid pain. It’s a fact that most people react rather than act, meaning, they first need a wake-up call or some sort of “pain” (ex:  heart attack, diabetes, etc.) before moving into action.

Motivational experts skillfully associate pain and pleasure and use them in behavior modification.  Whether it’s the words they use, the thoughts they think, the images they visualize, or the actions they take … they stack up pain deliberately to discourage undesirable behaviors, and they promote pleasure to encourage new desirable behaviors, or to reinforce good habits.

Here are 8 Strategies you can use to keep yourself motivated and on the track to getting real results.

1. Find Your Reasons Why

You need to figure out a compelling purpose.  For example, if your goal is to lose 25 lbs, you need to identify WHY that’s important to you.  Is it to feel sexier for your spouse, fit into that old pair jeans, or feel more confident?  Once you identify your initial reason, keep asking “why?” to dig deeper and finally come up with true reason that will motivate you!

2. Connect to Your Core Values

This is the ultimate secret. If you can connect the process (ex. exercise and eat healthier) to your core values, even in small ways, you can change your game.  For instance, some core values might include freedom, happiness, love, connection, family, or growth.  Figure out what matters most to you and work from there.

3. Change Your Mindset

You can instantly find more enjoyment in exercising by shifting your mindset from “having to workout” to “getting to workout”.  Often, people say, “I’ve got to workout!”.  This phrase leaves the person feeling compelled and thus less empowered.  Instead, consider adopting the phrase, “I get to workout!”.  Now, all of a sudden, this puts the person in a state of gratitude instead of obligation. Big difference!

4. Find your Happy Place

Remember how good it feels after you’ve had a great workout session or you’ve eaten a healthy meal.  Find a way to anchor that feeling within yourself so that anytime the going gets tough, you can easily revert back to your “happy place” to remind yourself why you do this.

5. Use Reference Points From Past Successes

Sometimes you might feel overwhelmed or unsure of your ability to achieve a good workout or prepare a healthy meal.  However, if you can think back to similar situations in the past where you were successful, then you can realize that it’s possible to do again. For example, if you were once able to do 12 push ups in a row, then draw from that experience and reassure yourself that you can or will be able to do it again.

6. Find a Visual Reminder

A visual tool such as a photograph or a piece of clothing can serve as a reminder of your weight-loss goals and your progress.  Find something that reminds you of why you began this journey and put it somewhere you can see it everyday.  This visual reminder can be a motivational phrase written on a piece of paper, a magazine photo of your ideal body, a photo of yourself when you were in better shape, a bikini or dress or pair of jeans you’d like to eventually fit into.  Whatever you choose, the important thing to keep in mind is that this visual tool must be realistic.  When the going gets tough, use this tool to pull yourself back on track.

7. The Buddy System

Pair up with someone who shares similar fitness goals as you and together, you can support and help each other through the rough spots. This is one of the greatest advantages of partner-training.  Training with a friend can take your workouts to a whole new level and save you both $$.

8. Take Action and Reward Yourself

Here’s a secret that once you know it and apply it, can change your life.

Action comes before motivation.

Instead of waiting to feel motivated to get started, go ahead and take action, the motivation will follow, especially if you have a reward waiting yourself.  You might not always look forward to your workouts and I’m sure there are a zillion excuses you could make for skipping out, but if you can push aside those negative thoughts and just get started, not only will you feel great about getting your workout done, but you’ll feel empowered and more confident for not giving in.  Once your workout is done, reward yourself with something that makes you feel good – and preferably not a piece of chocolate cake!

Try these Motivation Strategies and see how  they can empower you to take action and stick to it!  And remember, take it one day at a time.  Good Luck!

“Success is in the sum of small efforts repeated day in & day out” ~ Robert Collier

Exercise fitTip: Consistency is Key

Whether you workout 3 days a week, or 6 days a week, the important thing is to keep it consistent.  Consistency is to keep the momentum going, keep plugging away at your routine diligently because eventually you will reach that pinnacle where the “magic” happens.  That’s the point when you will start to see real results taking shape!  Without consistency, you will never reach that pinnacle.  Breaking the routine can set you back further and make it difficult to get back on track.

Consistency creates habits.  Habits make the difference between success or failure.  Habits can be positive or negative.  Did you know that “quitting” or “slacking” is a habit?  Every time you slack off or make excuses, you are creating a habit that sends a message to your subconscious that you are helpless and this could potentially damage your self-esteem.  When we quit or slack, we usually don’t feel good about it or about ourselves.  On the other hand, if you take action every time you feel like quitting, you will gain confidence and feel stronger.  This strength will help you to remain consistent.

Life happens and sometimes, the routine demands of life will overload you, or unexpected events will blow in from nowhere and threaten to drive you off track.  When such things happen, confront the urge to give up.  There may be times, you’ll be tempted to rationalize, “Well, I’ll quit for now, but I’ll get back on track tomorrow or next week”.  Don’t do it!  Instead, take immediate action by plugging away toward your goals before the temptation to quit gets too strong.

The person who takes action every single day toward the attainment of their goal will always triumph over those who do it every once in a while.

Balance your pH level and Lose Fat Fast!

pH is a chemistry term that describes whether something is acidic or basic (alkaline).  It’s based on a scale from 1-14.  1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic.  The middle is neutral at pH 7.  This is an important number, since your body happens to function most optimally at pH 7.  In fact, you can only survive within a very strict range of pH 7.

Thankfully, your body has many built-in mechanisms to ensure that the pH level doesn’t ever veer too much.  However, it’s always best to keep as much strain off of your body as possible to ensure that it keeps functioning optimally.

One way to do so is by eating a well-balanced diet.  Now, all foods have an acidic or basic value.  All proteins (meats, poultry, fish and dairy) and refined carbs (ESPECIALLY grains) are acidic foods, whereas all unrefined carbs, which are your fruits and vegetables are basic and most fats are neutral.

Since proteins are essential in your diet, these are acidic foods that are necessary and it’s easy to balance them out by eating enough fruits and vegetables.

Where you can get into trouble is when you consume refined carbs – especially grains like breads, pasta, rice and all packaged snacks such as chips, cookies, crackers and so on.  These foods are highly acidic not to mention packed with sugar and calories and do nothing for your weight loss endeavors.  Another food you should try to avoid is cheese.  I know it’s delicious, but it’s also highly acidic and dense in calories.

Avoiding these highly acidic foods will give your body a break from having to use its own vital organs and bone minerals to neutralize the acidic foods.  The less your body has to expend energy and nutrients on keeping your body functioning, the more energy it has to enhance metabolic processes that helps you recover faster, burn more fat and build lean muscles quicker.

So to optimize your body’s functions stick to eating natural whole foods.  Eat plenty of protein and balance it out by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.  You really can’t eat enough greens…ever!  This is one case where more is better.  And don’t forget to throw in some healthy fats in the mix to balance it all out.

The great thing is the way you need to eat to maintain an optimal pH level in your body also happens to be the best way to maximize your health and weight loss as well!  Coincidence?  I think not.

Here’s a pH balance chart that will help you keep the acid foods and alkaline foods in a better perspective making it easier to make better food choices.

Weight Training is a Must for Women

There are still so many misconceptions about women and weight training.  Many women are still weary of weight training in fear of bulking up like a man, but this cannot be further from the truth.  It is genetically impossible for women to build bulky muscle mass like that of men for the simple fact that we do not have the same hormonal composition.  Women do not possess enough natural testosterone to build big bulging muscles, this is only possible by supplementing with steroids (synthetic testosterone), and only then does it start to look unnatural.  Testosterone, however, is only one factor, genetics plays a larger role.  Our DNA predetermines what type of muscle fibers we have and where on the body they are distributed, how we respond to exercise, and our body type.

As women, weight training is one of the best things we can do for our bodies, especially as we age.  Here are some reasons why women must consider weight training:

• Reverse the loss of muscle mass.  After the age of 35, we typically lose 5% of our muscle mass every 10 years if we do nothing.  With strength training, we can reverse the loss of muscle mass by building toned, lean muscles.
•   Stimulate fat loss.  As we age we our metabolism starts to slow down causing an increase in body fat, this typically starts around the age of 30.  How much body fat we gain depends greatly on our level of activity and lifestyle.  Weight training will increase lean muscle mass.  Lean muscle mass burns ten times more calories than fat mass and it continues to torch calories all day long.
•  Prevent osteoporosis.  Regular weight training can significantly decrease your risk of developing osteoporosis and osteopenia by increasing bone density.  In order for bone to continue to renew itself, it requires regular overloading, otherwise, bone starts to lose minerals and becomes brittle and fragile. This is one of the main reasons why older adults are so susceptible to bone fractures.  Weight training can provide the bones with necessary overload for the generation of new bone tissue.
• Prevent many chronic diseases.  Regular weight training can decrease your chances of developing heart disease by lowering your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and increasing your HDL (“good”) cholesterol.  Diabetes can be prevented or controlled with weight training by improving your body’s utilization of sugar.  The prevention and management of arthritis (osteoarthritis) is better possible by including weight training in your regular routine.  Weight training not only strengthens the muscles, but it also strengthens the connective tissues (tendons, ligaments) that surround and support the joints.  By increasing the integrity of your joints, you will also be preventing injury.
• Become physically stronger.  Stronger muscles can greatly increase your quality of life and prevent injuries.  Even strength training 2-3 times a week can increase your overall strength by 30-50%.  This will make the activities of daily life requiring bending, lifting, climbing a lot easier and safer by reducing the risk of injury.
• Stay positive and focused.  Exercise in general, has a mood altering effect.  The release of “feel good hormones” called endorphins, can help fight off depression and increase mental focus and clarity.
• Look younger longer.  The anti-aging effects of weight training has been documented in numerous research studies.  The combination of all the other positive effects of weight training gives way to a more youthful body and mind.  People that are physically fit, healthy, happy, and active always seem younger.
  

Avoid Long Weekend Weight Creep

After weeks or months of marking X’s on the calendar, the long weekend is finally here. If you’ve been diligently sticking to your fitness and nutrition plan, then there is no reason why you can’t let loose a little. The key here is to let loose ‘a little’ and not go overboard. You don’t want to sabotage all the progress made so far. Spending time with family and friends almost always involves food and lots of it. It’s easy to eat mindlessly when you’re in good company and there’s a smorgasbord of goodies all laid out. The calorie count can rack up real fast! Let’s not forget all the liquid calories we consume in sugary alcoholic beverages.

Here are some tips on how you can keep the long weekend festivities from destroying your efforts in the gym:

#1   Squeeze in a quick workout to allow for the extra calories and to keep the metabolism revved.

#2   Be mindful of portion sizes

#3   Choose healthier foods rather than calorie-dense foods. It’s ok to have a cheat day but even that should be within limits.

#4   Drink responsibly and wisely. Alcohol packs a double whammy, not only is alcohol high in calories but it also impairs your body’s ability to burn fat as efficiently. So, choose low-calorie alcoholic drinks and try to avoid sugary mixers.  Cheers!

#5  Have fun!

Happy long weekend everyone!

Burn More Calories While Doing Nothing

This is what we all want, right?  Let’s be honest, the idea of receiving maximum benefits for minimum efforts sounds pretty sweet.  Almost too sweet.  Well, it is possible – but (ah yes, there’s always a ‘but’!), we need to kick-start the whole process first.

Our metabolism is like an engine that runs all day long, it never really stops, it constantly burns energy (calories).  When we are active, our body is expending more energy, thereby burning more calories than when we are inactive.  However, even when we’re sitting around on the couch, we’re burning calories.  This is called our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the energy we burn at rest.  Therefore, whether we lose weight or gain weight depends greatly on how efficiently our metabolism is functioning.  A slow running metabolism is inefficient at burning calories and can lead to weight gain, whereas, a fast running metabolism efficiently burns calories at a higher rate throughout the day, even when you are doing nothing!  The key is not only to burn enough calories during activity, but to keep the metabolism revved up during rest, that is, to increase our BMR.  This is what leads to successful long term weight loss.

BMR Facts

BMR is based on a number of factors like our gender, age, weight, height, the amount of fat or muscle we carry around, plus a host of other genetic factors that vary from person to person.  BMR calculators can provide a general idea of your BMR.  Here are some key numbers to keep in mind:

• Number of calories burned at rest = 12 cal per lb per day
• Number of calories burned by muscle = 30 – 50 cal per lb per day
• Number of calories burned by fat = 3 cal per lb per day

The numbers obviously speak for themselves.  Muscle tissue is metabolically active and burns 10-15 times more calories than fat.  This is an important fact to keep in mind when considering how to go about revving our metabolism.

Our lifestyle, our habits, our nutritional choices directly affect our metabolic rate.  There are a number of things we can do to ensure that our metabolism is functioning optimally all day long.

#1 Muscle is Metabolism

We already know that regular exercise is important for weight loss.  However, all exercises are not created equal and will not deliver the same results.  Remember, muscle burns way more calories than fat, therefore, the focus of exercise should be to build more muscle.  A regular strength and resistance training program will not only help build lean muscle but will burn more calories.  Muscle increases your BMR which means the calorie burn from weight training continues long after your workout is done.

#2 Muscle is Made in the Kitchen

What we eat, when we eat, how often we eat have a great effect on our metabolism.  In order to support the hard work we put in at the gym, we need to feed our body clean, natural foods.  Nutrition accounts for approximately 80% (if not more) of the fat loss battle.  We should try to eliminate as many refined and processed foods as we can from our regular diet.  This type of change does not have to take place overnight.  In fact, I don’t recommend that anyone make drastic changes as it would be an unrealistic approach.  Small, incremental changes made regularly are more likely to stick and become habits rather than drastic changes.  The focus of a healthy diet should be on nutrient-dense foods rather than calorie-dense foods.

How much and how often we eat is very important in keeping the metabolism stoked.  Eating less is a common misconception regarding weight loss, in fact, to lose weight we need to eat more often.  On average, we should try to eat 6 small meals throughout the day to keep our blood sugar levels stable and our metabolism humming.

#3 Chill Out

Stress plays havoc on our metabolism and our health in general.  The mind-body connection has been given much attention as of late.  For our optimal well-being it is essential for us to practice stress management on a regular basis.  Stress throws our body out of balance and in order to restore homeostasis our body responds by releasing stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine (aka adrenaline).  Both cortisol and adrenaline are released by the adrenal glands at the same time, but we feel the effects of this a few hours later.

Cortisol is a powerful appetite stimulant which researchers suggests may interfere with our brain’s normal hunger signals.  Cortisol causes us to crave foods that our body can quickly convert to energy to deal with the threatening situation – stress.  We, therefore, end up craving simple sugars and carbs in the form of refined foods and sweets.  Cortisol not only promotes weight gain, but it affects where you put on the extra pounds.  Elevated cortisol levels generally cause weight gain in the abdominal area.  Increased abdominal fat is dangerous as it increases our risk of developing  cardiovascular disease.  Managing stress is crucial to our well-being especially in our fast-paced lifestyles.  Combating the effects of cortisol is simple, and it doesn’t necessarily involve yoga or tai chi, just 30 minutes of moderate level physical activity of any kind daily can significantly reduce stress.